Zorua Illusion: Yeah, I've seen that video too. They're pretty good.
Yeah, this was probably the first time that someone yelled at Dedede in a language that he doesn't understand, but it won't be the last. Quite a few people yell at the Pengu on a regular basis. If only he'd actually think before he made a decision. Well, maybe that's a bit too much to ask.Languages are a lot of fun to play with. I will give a tip about my writing: if there is a word that you don't recognize, it probably comes from another language, or at least has its origin in one. If you want to know what it is, just ask.
That is true about Meta Knight. Horrible thing after horrible thing can happen to him and he won't even skip a beat. Something happens to Kirby? Whoever did it better have their running shoes on.
Your comment did make me laugh, though. It gave me the idea of Meta Knight and Kirby as a Cucco and chick from Zelda. Beware of Meta Cucco and his beak of wrath!
No, Sweet Stuff's just out of luck.
Thanks for the compliment. Honestly, that was something I though of after coming up with this episode. I wanted to have an episode that featured Meta's sisters before we got back to the Four Forces. After I decided on the transformation, however, I saw that I could fit in the eye color changes as well.
As for the team up, I like the thought that, while the heroes are united by friendship, the only reason the villains aren't killing each other is that they'd rather kill the good guys. The villains are all tough, but each pretty much has a gun pointed at each other, so only time will see until they have a falling out.
EnderMiss1000: Thanks for the comment! I hope you enjoy it as this story goes on.
Yes, dolphins are not to be messed with. Neither are Puffals, so Sweet Stuff was doomed from the moment he attacked Kirby.
Kirbyproduction112: Thanks for the review! I always like to hear from my readers. By the way, I have checked out your Kirby story. It's very intriguing.
I also want Right Back at Ya season 2. It's not likely though... :(
Hope you all enjoy the story!
All things canon belong to Nintendo, 4Kids, Hal Laboratory, and Warpstar Inc.
Only a few original elements belong to SilverWarriorWolf.
Episode Thirty Four: Coming Crescendo, Part One
Kirby once again stood in a strange area that he could only vaguely remember. It was a cradle like bed in the middle of what appeared to be a nursery. He himself was much smaller than he remembered being, with his head only barely peeking over the edge of the cradle.
He glanced out, trying to get an idea as to where he was. Much to his surprise, he was not the only creature in here. All around him were similar cradles, each holding an infant. These were from a large variety of different creatures, though they were mostly Puffals like himself.
He tried to puff himself up to fly out of the cradle, but found, to his dismay, that someone had draped a net over the top, as if preparing to keep him from doing just that. He floated back down and began searching for another way to escape his current confinement.
However, he would not have the opportunity. Almost as soon as he landed, there came to be a change in the atmosphere. The air turned unnaturally cold there was a stink that became incredibly prevalent. Kirby shook his head, trying to shake the feeling, but the unnatural disturbances continued. A black mist, which was almost slime, began to trickle into the room. A small tendril of it crept up into each cradle and quickly slunk back out, as if it was looking for something. When it reached the cradle that the little warrior was in, it ceased its search and instead let out a whistle.
Unnerved by this happening, the youngster slunk back, wanting desperately not to find out what the whistle had summoned. However, his wish was not granted, and a large, slimy looking orb floated into the room. When it came to his cradle, it stopped and began shifting in form. Kirby wanted to look away, but the horror of the situation held him tight, and he could only stare in shock as the orb finished its transformation, taking the unmistakable and unwelcome for of Nightmare.
The child desperately wanted to scream. He wanted to call out for help and hopefully someone would answer and come to his aid. However, no sound came out of him. He only froze, hoping upon hope that someone would come to his rescue.
Nightmare glared down at the little Puffal, a clear feeling of hate polluting the whole atmosphere. "I have you now, Guardian," he sneered down. "You will not escape me a second time!" With that, his hand shot down, tearing through the net and grabbing the youngster roughly.
Kirby struggled within the warlock's grip. Finally, he voice ceased to fail him, and he began crying out. His screams of pain and terror were so loud and panicked that he almost didn't notice when a second pair of hands began to shake him awake.
"Kirby!" A familiar and much more comforting voice called out to him. "Wake up, Kirby! It is only a nightmare!"
The little one blinked for a few moments, trying to get his bearings. He was outside, and the first few rays of morning were peeking out over the horizon. It had been Meta Knight who had woken him up. The older Puffal had apparently only just woken up himself, and his eyes flashed a bright orange with concern.
"I-I saw Nightmewe," the squire sobbed, doing his best to restrain his tears. He was somewhat ashamed that his mentor had seen him so afraid, but he still was suffering from the horrible dream. "He ha-had Kaabii caught, an' he squeezed weally, weally ha'd. It was weally scawy."
Meta Knight gently patted his apprentice's shoulder. "It's alright," he said, his voice calm. "It was only a dream. He is nowhere near here, and even if he was, I am here to help you." A surge of paternal protectiveness came through the blue Puffal as he said this. "He would not have the chance to harm you."
Kirby smiled weakly, glad that he had such a brave mentor. "T'ank yew."
"You're welcome." Meta Knight got up from where he was sitting and started gathering up his belongings. The evening before, he and Kirby had trekked up to this camping area on Dynablade's Mountain for the night. The veteran had decided to use this as an opportunity to devoting the day to training his squire in the skills necessary to be a Star Warrior. Since they were both awake now, it seemed like as good a time as any to start the day.
"We will head to one of the valleys to begin training in a while," he said as he put away his own bedding supplies. "Why don't you get some breakfast ready while I prepare for the travel?"
The little one immediately brightened up at the mention of food. "Yay!" he chirped cheerfully, immediately diving into the large bag that had been brought along for the food.
Meta Knight couldn't help but chuckle as he observed his enthusiastic young student. The bag had to be large, to accommodate for both of their rather sizable appetites, but the energy at which the youngster dived in was incalculable. The older warrior smiled at the memory of when he used to be like that.
However, a wave of sadness mingled with the nostalgia. He glanced at the youngster, hoping desperately that the little one would not have to suffer the tragedy and loss that was all too familiar to his elder.
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It was a bit later in the morning when some sounds became present at the old Dreamlander ruins. After the adventure that had been dictated about the warrior's time on the planet of Aqua Star, the kids had decided once more to gather together and work their way through the old journal. They had agreed on the ruins as the meeting place because it was quiet and private and few people ever gathered there.
Today, the collection was much of what it had been on that first day. Of course, Ado and Adeleine were there, as they were still the ones who were taking care of the journal itself. Tiff and Tuff had gotten there shortly afterwards, accompanied by Lololo and Lalala. Ribbon had gone out to gather some of the others and had found out, to their regret, that Poppy's family had decided to move away, and he had to help with the work. Though they were sad to see him go, they were pleased to find that Rick was able to come, and with some assistance, he could bring Kine and Chuchu along in their tank as well.
Thus, the small group had come together to hear just what was going to happen next in the life of Dreamland's famed warrior. As they all settled down, Adeleine opened the book and began reading while her sister set to restoring the pages as they went.
"'It didn't take long after our return from Aqua Star for Meta to rejoin with his friends. After watching over them as children for so long, it is rather odd to see the four of them so close to knighthood…'"
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Meta hurried off of the small transport ship as it docked onto the ship Supernova, a smaller ship that was still connected to the main ship, the Solarian. It was here that the newly dubbed knights would live and train while they waited for their first missions.
At the moment, the Puffal was walking down by himself, examining a small slip of paper. It dictated where he would be staying and who his roommates were. Each of the single people's apartments was rather good sized, with one living area, including a kitchen, and three bedrooms, each with their own bathroom.
This meant that there would be three people to an apartment, though one did not have a say over who one's roommates were to be. These were usually also a knight's teammates, though this was not always the case, as teams were either in groups of four or six, and men and women had separate living quarters, while teams usually had at least one of each.
Much to his relief, he found that his two roommates were to be Jecra and Daroach. He, at the very least, knew that he would be able to get along with his roommates, and gave the hope that they would be on the same team.
When he reached the apartment, however, he found that he was the first person to make it there. As this was the case, he took this as the opportunity to pick his room and start to unpack his luggage. He couldn't help but laugh a bit as he looked out of his bedroom window out into the familiar view of space. It seemed like he had been on Aqua Star forever, and while it was a beautiful place, the young Star Warrior was ready to be back in the familiar surroundings of the warrior fleet.
He had just finished putting away his belongings when the sound of a door opening and closing signaled the arrival of one of his friends. "Hey! Is anyone in here?" the familiar voice of Jecra called out. As usually, the young man didn't wait long for a reply. "No, huh? Guess that means I'm the first one here."
"Guess again," Meta called out cheerfully. He headed out to the main living area to greet his friend. "I'm actually surprised you arrived this early. If you asked Lady Almethea, you never seemed to be able to make it anywhere remotely on time."
"Only because I had so many other places to be," the blond responded cheerfully, clapping Meta on the back. "Good to see ya again. Things got kind of lonely after you, Garlude, and Daroach left."
"Daroach left the ship too?" Meta asked. This was news to him.
Jecra nodded. "Yep. Sir Galahad got called off to Lumio Star and he decided it would be a good idea for Daroach to get some experience out there.
"Things got a bit better after Garlude got back though." He crossed his arms across the back of his head. "We're going out now. We have been for a while."
Meta made a face of disbelief and shook his head. "No way."
"Way." Jecra grinned brightly in response. "It's just 'cause I'm so irresistible to the ladies."
"Or maybe it's just because she realized you weren't going to get a date any other way and felt sorry for you." Though they had not been expecting him to interject, Meta and Jecra could tell immediately who had come in.
"You're one to speak," Jecra laughed as he took Daroach's paw. "How many girlfriends have you had?"
"I let you know I have left at least a dozen broken hearts back on Lumio Star," the mouse said with a sideways grin. "Shame, too. They were nice girls, but a Star Warrior has his duties to fulfill." He casually leaned against his own luggage. "How about you, Poyo? Meet any nice girls on Aqua Star?"
"No one who comes to mind…" the blue Puffal responded with a slight blush that said he wasn't quite telling the truth. Furthermore, his eyes turned a slight shade of lavender.
"What's going on with your eyes?" Jecra asked. "I thought they were blue."
"What do you mean?" Meta responded, his eyes changing green in curiosity. "They are blue."
"Nope," Daroach joined in. "Now they're green. I'm pretty sure they didn't do that before."
"Oh, that," the Puffal responded, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you later."
Thankfully for him, the conversation was quickly cut off. Jecra had decided to explore their new apartment and found a very interesting surprise hidden in one of the cupboards. "Hey, guys!" he called out in delight. "Check this out! Someone put twelve watermelons in here! Bet you can't get 'em all in your mouth at once without swallowing, Meta!"
The young Puffal gave a mischievous grin. "You are on!" He sprang forward and quickly began inhaling to the cheering of his two friends. He had about seven of them in his mouth when another voice was heard at the doorway.
"…and this is where some of my old friends are going to be living. You'll be seeing them tonight at the ceremony." Garlude froze after she came up to the open door and quickly face palmed. "Or you can see them now, making fools of themselves."
The three boys turned to look at the newcomers. Had it just been Garlude, it wouldn't have been much of an issue, as she had seen them being boys before. However, standing next to her, was the last person the Meta expected to see.
"Lynette!" he practically gasped, his mouth still stuffed full of fruit.
The ivory Puffal girl gave a small laugh. "Hi, Meta. Are you doing alright?"
Meta quickly swallowed, ending the game where it was. Lynette's appearance was a bit of a shock, considering she was younger. "What are you doing here?"
"I was transferred here to work on my doctorate," she answered. A light blush had started up on her own face as well. "Since I'm preparing to be a pediatrician, I was sent up to the main ship to train here. It seems there's a shortage up here."
"She's going to be one of my roommates," Garlude finished explaining. "I was hoping to get an introduction in before the knighting ceremony tonight, but it appears that's not an issue. She's already seen too much of you as it is." She shot a glare at her boyfriend that said 'I know you were the one who instigated this."
There was a period of silence, which Lynette finally broke. "Well, I think I'd better go finish settling in. It was nice meeting you all." She gave a small smile and waved at Meta. "Goodbye, Meta. It was nice seeing you again."
Once the girls had left, Daroach gave a sly grin. "It was her, wasn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" Meta asked defensively. Truth be told, it was her. She had changed a lot from the little kid who had a crush, though the blue Puffal was not about to admit it.
"He's talking about the fact that you practically turned purple," Jecra laughed.
"I-it's nothing," Meta stuttered. "We were just friends, that's all."
"Right, it is," Daroach responded sarcastically. "C'mon, how long have you had interest?"
"None of your business, alright!" was the hot answer. "I'm just gonna get ready for the ceremony." With that, he tromped into his own room before slamming the door.
"But it's not for ten hours," Jecra called out.
"Don't care!"
Daroach smirked over at Jecra. "It was so her."
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"Now Kirby, today I want to begin training you in a new fighting style." Before this, Kirby had been somewhat daydreaming about the beautiful surroundings all about him. However, at this new announcement, he snapped to attention. It wasn't every day that something new was added to his lessons, after all.
He jumped up eagerly and rushed over to where Meta Knight had set out a large mat. "Wha' we gonna do?" he asked excitedly, ready to begin some fun new adventure.
"I intend to train you in the art of Boxin Boxing," the veteran responded calmly. "This is a sport not taught to every trainee, but my father taught it to me, and I intend to teach it to you." Meta Knight had already gotten himself ready, stripping off his cape and most of his armor. He still wore his mask and his gloves, though the gauntlets had been removed. He tossed a pair of bright red boxing gloves over to Kirby. "Here. It is tradition that students wear red gloves."
"A'ight," Kirby said cheerfully. He inhaled the gloves, and in a flash a bright red strip of cloth had appeared on his head. "Fightah Kaabii!"
However, Meta Knight raised his hand and shook his head. "No, Kirby. Today, you are to learn without your copy ability."
Kirby looked back, a little disappointed. It wasn't uncommon for the warrior to train him in situation where he would have no copy ability, but he preferred it when it was an option. He obediently spat out the fighting ability and turned back to the gloves, which had been discarded after the copy.
The gloves felt a bit awkward on his paws, but he adjusted to them well enough. Once he was ready, he joined Meta Knight out on the mat. It was brown, so it stood out against the green grass, and had a white circle painted in it so that each edge of the mat touched the circle in a different place.
"Alright, the rules for Boxin Boxing are simple," the veteran began. "While there are blows like in the more familiar type of boxing, knocking the opponent unconscious is not the goal. Instead, you are attempting to knock your opponent out of the ring." He motioned to the white ring that surrounded them. "Blows, pushing, and kicking are allowed, but only to a degree that they are not severely injuring, and no blows are allowed to the head.
"Now, as Puffals, we have a disadvantage that most of our opponents will not have. Both of us are small and light enough that a direct blow or a well-aimed push will be enough to immediately knock us out. However, there is an advantage we also have, and that is out speed. We are hard to hit because of out small size, and if we keep moving, than it is simple enough for us to turn our opponent's own size and strength against them. Here, I will show you. Attempt to land a blow."
Kirby obeyed, rushing ahead and attempting to land a blow on Meta Knight. He rushed up, using as much speed as he possibly could in the limited amount of space. However, the older Star Warrior was expecting this and moved out of the way just at the last minute. This did not leave the squire any time to adjust, and he was sent head over heels over the edge of the mat.
"As you see," Meta Knight said as he offered his student a hand, "your strength, or in this case, your speed, can also be a hindrance if you are not watching. One must make certain that they are prepared to adjust for an unexpected move, or else that could be the end of everything. However, if you can get your opponent to use everything he has, than victory is just within reach. Are you ready to go again?"
"Go 'gain!" the youngster chirped cheerfully. He was eager and ready to acquire this new skill.
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"Please, Meta!" Daroach implored, a pleading tone in his voice. "You have to do something about this!"
"C'mon!" Garlude chimes in, joining her pleas to that of the mouse's. "You can't expect us to have to endure this when you could do something about it!"
"I'm sorry, guys." The newly titled Sir Meta Knight slid his mask up as he seated himself near the two. "Last night was my night to cook, and you know I don't like to take cooking shifts two nights in a row. We can suffer through a single night of Jecra's cooking."
He, along with Jecra, Garlude, and Daroach, were off on one of their first missions as full-fledged Star Warriors. They were scouting out area on an uncharted planet on the fringes of the Gamble Galaxy, and had chosen to set camp for the night. Before they had left, lots had been drawn to decide who would be doing what during the expedition, and it ended with tonight being Jecra's night to cook.
"You know, I can still hear you from here," the blond called back.
"Good," Daroach responded. "Maybe we'll be able to make sure you limit the ingredient list to foods that are actually edible this time."
"Har dee har," Jecra responded, rolling his eyes. He headed over to where the others were seated, bringing a large pot and a bag with him. "I'll have you know that I selected this meal tonight so I wouldn't have to diverge from the food stores we brought from the ship. Traveling cakes with a vegetable stew. Dig in."
Garlude lifted the pot lid and stared at the contents within. "Uh, is the stew supposed to be grey?"
"And are you sure you didn't overdo these cakes a bit?" Daroach asked, nibbling at one. "It's a bit hard."
"Hey, I don't hear Meta complaining," Jecra pointed out, crossing his arms.
"That's because he's an Inhaler Puffal," Garlude responded. "They'll eat anything. You once got him to eat seven pine cones as a kid, and he probably would have eaten more if your mom hadn't caught us."
The Puffal said nothing, only eating his portion of the food as quickly and as quietly as he could.
"Well, I don't see what you guys are complaining about," Jecra said, taking a spoonful of the food. "I guess that means there's more for us, right, Meta?"
Quickly, the Puffal set down his bowl, wondering if he should have just taken permanent cooking detail. "I'm actually done now. You enjoy though."
"I will!" Jecra began shoveling down the food, and much to his companions' amazement, seemed to be enjoying it.
Before the conversation could go on much longer, however, there was a loud cry. Immediately, the four warriors were surrounded by a hoard of rat like monsters. The young fighters tried to reach for their weapons, but the creatures succeeded in separating them from their supplies, where their weapons had been left. Thus, the quartet were forced to fight with whatever was close at hand.
Not to be defeated that easily, Daroach flung one of the cakes, braining a monster with it and causing it to fall over dead. Not one to overlook an opportunity, he rushed over and picked up the pot. "You liked that, huh?" he asked, taunting the monsters. "Well, try some of this!" With that, he tossed the slop over the remaining monsters that were separating the young warriors from their weapons.
The creatures took one sniff of the stew and took off shrieking. This allowed the four to rush ahead and grab their weapons.
"Well," Garlude laughed as the group stood in four way back to back formation, "it looks like we found a use for your food after all."
"Hey, it's not my fault Nightmare doesn't make his monsters with any taste," Jecra responded shaking his head.
With that, the four rushed ahead, easily defeating the swarm of creatures between themselves.
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The morning was waging on as the training continued. Kirby, as Meta Knight expected, was eager to advance in his training, but was not patient enough to truly think his next couple of steps out. He'd usually rush in, attempting to land blows to end the match quickly by direct confrontation. Now, against another Puffal, this was a weak but not implausible strategy, but against a larger, heavier opponent he would be taken out immediately. As such, the veteran and quick to knock his student out of the ring when he attempted this.
"You are enthusiastic, young one," he said after Kirby had been knocked out for the fifth or sixth time. "This enthusiasm can work to your advantage, but it must be intermingled with prudence. Know when you might be able to succeed in an attack and avoid suicide charges. Despite what is said, there is little to be proud of when you start an attack that you know you cannot win."
Kirby pushed himself up as he listened to his master's words. He nodded, blue eyes bright with determination. "'Kay!" he called back. "Twy 'gain!"
Meta Knight smothered a laugh, but his eyes still shone bright with amusement. "Very well then. En guard!"
With that, the two of them went up against each other once more. The older Puffal took the tactic that most practitioners of Boxin Boxing used, that of making physical confrontations. The younger, on the other hand, took his mentor's advice, moving quickly and using his small sized to his advantage in staying out of reach, and on the other side of the ring whenever possible.
It seemed this time that Meta Knight's lesson had finally taken root. Kirby did not initiate as many charges this time, moving in for an attack only after his elder started one of his own. Furthermore, due to age, the knight was still a good bit bigger than his squire, and thus the pink Puffal had an easier time dodging than the blue one did. As a result, this bout went on longer than the others had, as Kirby did a better job of avoiding being caught.
Indeed, as time wore on, Meta Knight began to feel himself tiring. Even though he was taking this match in far less weight than he was used to, Kirby's speed and strength were still fresh and largely untapped. Indeed, it seemed to be that this match would be decided by whether or not the vigor of youth could outlast the experience gain over time.
Or, at least, it seemed that way until several butterflies flitted over the ring. As soon as his favorite distraction came into view, Kirby turned his attention away, eager to gaze at the multicolored insects that were passing by. This gave Meta Knight an opening, allowing him to charge forward and knock the younger Puffal out of the ring. The squire fell head over heels, one of the butterflies landing on his foot as he lay prone.
"You must try to keep your attention on the task at hand," Meta Knight commented as he came over to the edge of the mat. "There will always be a myriad of distractions that will appear during a match, but you must learn to filter them out. Your opponent will not allow you the luxury of hesitation."
However, his words fell on deaf ears. As soon as Kirby opened his eyes, his attention immediately fell to the butterfly that had alighted on his foot. The little one waited quietly while his mentor was speaking, but the first chance he had, he jumped up, springing for the insect, which took to the air and began flitting off. The little one sprang up and immediately followed after the insect.
Meta Knight sighed as he watched his apprentice run off. He should have supposed that was what would happen. The young Puffal rarely could hold still when he spotted those butterflies. Oh, well. At least now the veteran had an idea of what the next lesson should be.
To be continued…
Author's Note: And thus we are back to the Four Forces, and we are seeing them all grown up and as a team! What will happen in their lives? I suppose we'll just have to read on to find out! I hope to hear what you think!-SilverWarriorWolf.